A broken-hearted Ward Cartwright left town to join the army when his boyfriend Tyler Hughes turned his back on their love and married a woman. Ten years later, Tyler is a widower with two young boys, and Ward has returned home. He is hopeful he can re-establish his relationship with Tyler. Even though a decade has passed, Tyler still feels tied to the family-owned feed mill. He has folks depending on the mill for employment, there are his children to consider, they live in a small town, and ... But despite this, Tyler finds there are plenty of benefits to giving Ward a job in the mill -- lots of out-of-the-way places to explore Ward’s army-honed, muscular body. Just when Tyler resolves to live more openly with Ward, rumors begin to surface, not just at the mill, but at his sons’ school. Ward knows the upcoming battle is just as serious as anything he’s faced in Afghanistan. Instead of fighting for his country, the soldier is fighting for his lover’s heart. Will Ward finally emerge victorious, or will Tyler’s self-doubt and fear of prejudice win out again?

Welcome Home, Soldier

Ward gave Joe a slap on his bare ass as he passed.


The lightness in Ward’s mood changed immediately when he reentered his bedroom. He caught sight of the long envelope laying on his small desk. It was stamped and addressed to the army recruiter. Ward picked it up and looked at it.


He’d filled out his application for reenlistment online. However, when it came to pressing the submit button, he’d hesitated. Instead, he decided to mail it in. He’d printed it off and put it in an envelope.


Ward knew he was procrastinating by doing it by snail mail. He’d convinced himself he was doing so because he didn’t want to do anything rash. Ten years before he’d stormed into the recruiting office in Westbrook and enlisted the day after Tyler told Ward he would be marrying Tiffany.


Chapter 63